Renegade
/ˈrɛn.ɪ.ɡeɪd/noun
A person who deserts a group, cause, or religion and becomes an outsider or traitor.
Did you know?The word entered English through Spanish and originally referred to a religious deserter, a label so charged it could mark someone as spiritually and socially dead.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*neigʷ-
“to turn, bend, or move toward”
Latin
Latin
negāre
“to deny, say no”
Vulgar Latin
VL
renegāre
“to deny again; recant”
Old Spanish
Spanish
renegado
“a renegade; one who has forsaken religion or allegiance”
16th Century
English
renegade
“a deserter from a faith, cause, or party”
Modern English
English
renegade
“a person who breaks away from an established group or way of thinking”